Anti-side-slipping combination for motor vehicles



Patented Dec. 17, 1940 PATENT OFFICE,

ANTI-.ISIDE-fSLIPPING COMBINATION FOR MOTOR VEHICLES Homer L. Norton,Shepherd, Mich. Application September 9, 1939, Serial No. 294,059

4 Claims.

This invention relates vto what is generally known as anti-skid devices,but I choose the more definite title, anti-side-slipping combination formotor vehicles.

In part, this invention is a continuation, and in part an improvement,on the device described, claimed and allowed in my patent applicationNo. 201,463, now Ratent No. 2,179,515 dated Nov. 14, 1939.

One object of this invention is to supplement the anti-slipping Idevicebehind the rear wheels of a motor vehicle, by a somewhat similarantislipping device behind the front wheels of the motor vehicle, and tooperatively connect these devices for operation in unison, so that thepossibility of side-slipping of either front or rear of the motorvehicle is minimized.

Another object of the invention is to mount a road-engaging Wheel on ajournal-member inA proper relation to be turned horizontally, and toprovide a practical and effective connection between the journal-memberand the steering mechanism of the motorl vehicle, whereby theroad-engaging wheel is steered automatically by the operation ofsteering the front wheels of the motor vehicle. Y

Another object of the invention is to provide on the chassis-beams, ofthe motor vehicle, the supporting means and the steering-connection ofthe front ground-engaging or road-engaging wheel, and to provid-e insaid steering connection such pivotal, telescoping and universalconnections that will permit the ground-engaging wheel to be raised andlo-wered without affecting its ability to turn the wheel-supportingjournalmember in its raised, lowered and intermediate positions; alsovthat will enable the road-engaging wheel to remain on the road orground unaffected by the upward and downward vibrations of the chassiswhile the motor Vehicle is traveling.

Other objects and important features are pointed out or implied in thefollowing details of description, in connection with the accompanyingdrawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a top-plan View of my invention applied on a sufficient partof a motor truck or four-Wheeled motor Vehicle to illustrate the use,construction and operation of the invention; parts .of the Chassis-beamsbeing broken away, so the front and rear anti-slipping devices appear tobe nearer to one another than'they would be in actual practice; springsand other irrelevant connections between the chassis-beams and the axlesbeing omitted to avoid confusion in showing the structure that comprisesthe invention; and certain elements of the invention being broken offand omitted, being showninother figures of the drawing.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the invention 'in connection with thegreater portion of the motorvehicle parts shown in Fig. 1, also withcertain elements not shown in Fig. 1, parts in vertical section andparts broken away. y

Fig. 3 is a front or rear view of one of the cross-beams and unitedattaching ears, such as shown at the middle portions of Figs. 1 and 2,constituting the means to'pivotally support the front end of an arm orframe that carries the journal-bearing for the front sharp-edgedroadengaging wheel.

Fig. 4 vis a front or rear View of 'a bent crossbeam such as shown atthe rear in Figs. 1 and 2 and which serves the same purpose asthecrossbeamv and ears of Fig. 3 and may be interchanged"l therewith. f 20Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional View taken along the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing in detail, in which;l similar referencenumerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views, theinvention is described in detail as follows:

The front axle is seen at l, the rearaxle at 2, the right chassis-beamat 3, and the left chassisbeam at 4. Cross-beams 5 and 6, such as shownseparately in Figs. 3 and 4, of any other approfpriate kind, are unitedwith theV chassis-beams by any appropriate means, forv instance, boltsand nuts, as shown. To the beam 5 is secured short outer attaching earsor pivot-bearings 1 and long inner attaching ears 8, An arm orfabricated frame 9 has its front end pvotally connected, at I0, to thepivot-bearings 1 which are widely spaced from one-another for.cooperation with the flared or wide front end of this arm or frame inpreventinglateral movement of its rear end with respect to thechassis-beams. For strength y and rigidity, this .fabricated arm or fframe 9 is preferably composed of ilat bars of iron or steel, one bentto V-shape and embracing the other one ywhich is bent to U-shape, these'being riveted or otherwise secured together, and the rear end of theV-shaped element being welded or otherwise united with a bearing-elementIl, as indicated in Figs. 2v and 5, so the bearing clock may properly beconsidered as a part of the arm 9. 'I'hrough thevertical bore of thisblock II extends the pivot or journal of the journal-member I2 whosebifurcated lower end carries the journal I3 on which the sharpedgedroad-engaging wheel I4 is journaled. The

front ends of strong contractile springs are secured to the attachingears 8, and their rear ends are secured to an attaching element of thearm 9, and each of these springs constantly f tends to pull and hold thewheel I4 hard-pressed against the ground or road on which the motorvehicle is traveling; but normally, when the road is not slippery, therear end of the arm 9 and the wheel I4 are held up by means of a liftingline I5, connected to the journal-member I2 by means of an eye or loopon the latter, as indicated at I 6. This line I5 is engaged inperipheral grooves of pulleys I'I and I8 that are journaled oncross-rods I9 that constitute axles therefor, and this line may bepulled by hand or by any appropriate means for lifting the roadengagingwheel I4 against the resistance of the springs 20.

In order that the sharp-edged road-engaging wheel I4 shall preventside-slipping of the front wheels (on the axle I) when the motor vehicleis traveling around a curve of the road, it is necessary to cause it tobe steered or swung rightward and leftward for respective right and leftcurves and to the same extent that the front wheels Ia of the vehicleare swung; so I have provided a steering connection therefor andcombined the same with the steering mechanism by which the ends orspindles of the front axle I are deflected, as follows:

A conventional form of knuckle-joint includes a combined pivot and lever2l; to one arm of this lever is connected a link 22 by means of auniversal joint; and the rear end of this lever is connected, by auniversal joint, to an arm 23 that is swung forward and backward by theusual form of worm-gearing 24 and steering rod 25. A supplemental link26 is connected, by a universal joint 2`I, to a lateral projection ofthe link 22; the rear end of' this link 26 is connected, by a universaljoint 28, to a knuckle-jointed lever which has a telescopic arm that isconnected to a crank or arm 29, by a universal joint 39; and that thiscrank or arm 29 is fixed on the upper end of the pivot or journal I 2aof the journalmember I2. The knuckle-jointed telescopic lever consistsofan outer arm 3|, an inner arm or joint-element 32, a tubular element 33,pivoted at 34 tothe joint-element 32, and a shank 39a slidablelongitudinally in the tubular element 33 and united with an element ofthe universal joint 39. This jointed telescopic lever is pivotallymounted on one of the chassis-beams through the medium of abearing-block S5 which is bolted or otherwise united with thechassisbeam 4 and has a bore through which a pivot 35 extends. On thisbolt or pivot 36, the jointed telescopic lever is swung horizontally bymeans of the steering mechanism and causes the journal member I2 andwheel I4 to be steered according to the steering of the front wheels onthe front axle 2|, or on the spindles thereof.

The rearward anti-side-slipping device has its fabricated frames frontend portions pivotally secured to the vertically disposed parts of thecross-beam 6, as indicated at 31 in Figs. 1 and 2. This frame orpivotally mounted arm is designed for exceeding rigidity and comparativeease of manufacture, the outer beams 38 having their apertured rear endsspaced from one another by a tubular journal 39 on which theperipherally grooved and sharp-edged road-engaging wheel 49 isjournaled, and a bolt 49a with its nut serves as a clamp to hold therear ends of the beams 38 against the ends of the tubular journal so asto increase the rigidity of the frame or arm which is also made veryrigid by the cross-.elements or braces 4I, 42 and 43, the elements 42being clamp-bolts that hold the beams 38 tight against the parts 4I and43. 'Ihe U-shaped member that includes the cross-brace 4I also includesthe reenforcing side-elements 44 that are riveted or otherwise securedto the elements 38. It should be noted that the road-engaging wheel 40is a distance in rear of the rear wheels on the axle 2; but this featureis covered in the claim of the allowed patent application No. 201,463.It is desired however to emphasize the importance of the exceedingstrength and rigidity of the present arm or frame that carries the wheel40 in this rear position; for when the motor vehicle is traveling fastaround a curved slippery road, there is a strong tendency for the rearwheels to sideslip toward the outer side of the curve; but such tendencyis overcome by a counter-tendency of the Wheel 40, in this rearposition, to force the rear wheels toward the inside of the curve.

Referring now to Fig. 2, it will be seen that a pulley 46 is'carred by ajournal on the chassisbeam 2 or on both the chassis-beams as are thejournals I9; and a lifting line 41 has its rearlower end secured to therear arm at 43, passes thence over the pulley 46, thence to thepoint-'at 49 where it is secured to the line I5 so as to be operated bythe latter, and so that both the front and rear road-engaging wheels areraised simultaneously when the operator causes a pull to be exerted onthe upper-front part of the line Though I have described this inventionquite specifically, it is not my intention to limit my patent protectionto these precise details of description; for the invention issusceptible of numerous changes within the scope of the inventive ideasas implied and claimed.

What I claim as my invention is:

l. In combination with chassis-beams and front wheels of a motor vehiclewhich has a steering mechanism operatively connected to said chassis andto said front wheels forsteering the latter when they are travelingalongv a road, an arm provided with a journal-bearing in one end, meanson said chassis-beams to pivotally support the other end of said arm inthe proper relation to permit said arm to be swung upward and downwardand to prevent said arm from moving laterally with respect to saidchassis-beams, a journal-member having an. upright journal seated in thejournal bearing of said arm, a roadengaging wheel rotatably secured tothe lower end of said journal-member in the proper relation to rollalong said road when the said arm is in its lowermost position, andmechanical means operatively connected to said steering mechanism andsaid journal member for steering said roadengaging wheel in the properrelation to minimize side-slipping of the sharp-edged Wheel and of saidfront wheels when the motor vehicle is traveling along curves of saidroad said mechanical means being inclusive of a vertical pivot providedwith means for securing it to one of said chassis beams, a leverfulcrumed on said pivot and having its outer end operativelyconnected tosaid steering mechanism in the proper relation to be swingablehorizontally by the operation of said steering mechanism, a crank or armon. said j ournal-member, and means operatively connecting said crank orarm to said lever in the proper relation to permit the road-engagingwheel to be steered while in the road-engaging position combination of across-beam provided with' and to remain in the road-engaging positionWhile the chassis vibrates upward and downward.

2. In an attachment for a motor vehicle which includes a chassis and asteering mechanism, the combination of a cross-beam provided With meansfor securing it to the chassis, an arm having one end pivotally securedto said cross-beam and having a journal-bearingy in its otherend, ajournal-member which includes an upright journal seated for rotarymovements in said journalbearing, a road-engaging Wheel rotatablyengaged with said journal-member and having its axis at right angles tothe. axis of said journal, and steering means operatively connected tosaid journal-member and having elements of proper construction andarrangement for operative connection with said steering mechanism so asto eiect movement of said road-engaging Wheel about the axis of saidupright journal, the said steering means being inclusive of a crank onsaid journal-member, a knuckle-jointed lever provided with means forpivotally connecting it to said crank, and a ulcrum for said leverprovided with means for securing it to the motor vehicle in the properrelation to be operable by said steering mechanism.

3. In an attachment for a motor vehicle which includes a chassis and asteering mechanism, the

means for securing it to said chassis, an arm pivotally secured to saidcross-beam and having a journal-bearing in one .end portion, ajournalmember which includes an upright journal seated for rotarymovement in said journal-bearing, a road-engaging Wheel rotatablyengaged with said journal-member and having its axis at right angles tothe axis of said journal, and steering means operatively connected tosaid journalmember and having elements vof proper construction andarrangement for operative connection With said .steering mechanism so asto effect movements of said road-engaging vlheel about the axis of saidupright journal, the said steering means being inclusive of a crank onsaid journalmember, a telescoping lever provided with means forpivotally `connecting it to said crank, and a fulcrum for said leverprovided vvith means for y securing it to the motor vehicle in theproper relation tobe operable by said steering mechanism.

4. The combination defined by claim 2, said knuckle-jointed lever beinginclusive of a telescopic arm which is operatively connected to saidcrank,

I-IOMER L. NORTON.

